Heart of an Artist

“A lifetime. A lifetime without letting a single drop of alcohol touch my tongue.”

The voice was woeful, rough, pained. As if it carried not only years of memories, but years of regret.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they said… Who knows when we will witness another day like this, they said…”

 Above them, the sun shone with not only warmth but pure heat, pouring its light even within the dark shadows, never allowing them to grow too cold.

“My savior God, our hallowed Hero, forgive me… Your servant failed to keep his mouth shut the one time he allowed himself to taste temptation’s sweet nectar…”

Tears glistened within Lyr’s eyes, the priest grabbing his white ears as if he wanted to pull them off as punishment.

Yuushin gave the wolf man a few pats on the back.

“C’mon, no need blame yourself. Isn’t it good that you are helping us?”

Lyr’s gaze dropped along with his shoulders, his voice small and pitiful.

“I suppose it is, yes…”

“There you go!” Yuushin replied with a smile, his eyes meeting Jay’s for a second. Yet soon the other man averted his gaze, going back to stare at the distance, waiting.

Is that what would feel like?

To care so much about someone?

Even without knowing Jay for long, it was impossible to miss the tension in the man’s body. The dark shadows crossing his green eyes, the anticipation and fear surrounding him. Though Yuushin thought it was best not to pry, it did make him curious—whether he would ever be able to care for another person like that, and if that weight was something he ever wished to carry.

Because the more he watched Jay, the more he saw itーthe more obvious it became.

How heavy that weight truly was.

Yuushin opened his mouth, still searching for the right words to say.

“Are we near the temple, Lyrelith?” But before he could find his voice, Jay made a question of his own, turning toward the priest.

Lyr let out a long sigh, his gaze rising toward the sky.

“…we should arrive before sundown, if nothing disrupts our journey. You are very fortunate there were available Dikarux today.”

Two of the humanoid creatures Yuushin had seen in the banquet pulled their cart with an speed even higher than the air elementals Lyr had summoned before. According to the priest, the Dikarux were servants exclusive to the Veritux Church—and they were not easily accessible to just anyone.

Even as a Stellar Priest, Lyr had to make a formal request, which was only accepted when the priest explained it was on behest of the otherworldly newcomers.

“That temple you mentioned, the one with the inscriptions about the ritual… Take us there.”

Those had been Jay’s words to Lyr as soon as the priest sobered up a bit. And no matter how many times Lyr refused, the man had been relentless. Enough to not only wear the priest down, but make him feel guilty.

“By our God’s mercy, I’m telling you! There is nothing of value to you in that place—if there were, we would have find it eons ago!”

“So what you’re saying is…that after we were exiled from our homes by sheer ‘misfortune’, thrown into a forest where our survival was barely an afterthought, you and your Church can’t listen to the one earnest request we have? Because your Church would rather compensate us with fancy meals and shiny gold?”

Jay’s words were as merciless as his tone, his gaze at the time colder than ice. Lyr was only able to mumble apologies while he excused himself, asking both men to meet him at the southeast gate the following morning.

Yet ever since they left, Jay hadn’t uttered a single word. And the shadows in the man’s eyes…Yuushin recognized them. It was a bitter familiarity, one that brought Yuushin back to the days he would sit at the ground and gaze at the endless sea.

Watching. Waiting.

Afflicted by so many thoughts and conflicting emotions, the only solace he could find in that world was silence.

Lyr’s voice reached him from afar, words he couldn’t make sense of it yet that called to him nonetheless, pulling him back to reality—away from all those memories and turmoil.

Yuushin turned to the priest, giving him a half-smile. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. What did you say?”

“No need for apologies, truly.” Lyr’s face blushed for a second, a faint embarrassment echoing in his voice. “I was merely inquiring about your world. As I mentioned before, this is the first time we welcome a people so similar to us, anatomically.”

“Oh, I see.” Yuushin thought for a few seconds, unsure how to explain—even more on how to start. Better to ask what he wants to know. “What are you curious about?”

The priest’s tail began to swing, a new glow reflecting in his blue eyes.

“What did you do there? Was there spellcasters as well, or great scholars? And what about your fauna and flora? How grand is the planet? Do you have many diverse ecosystems?”

…

Wow.

Yuushin blinked a few times, somewhat taken aback by Lyr’s eagerness.

“All right, so… I don’t know how big this planet is, but compared to the planets in our system, Earth is somewhere in the middle. It does have different ecosystems, though I’m unsure how many. We don’t have any spellcasters, yet we did have many great scholars throughout the years.”

By each spoken fact, more and more Lyr’s eyes filled with awe.

“Outstanding…a-and you? Were you also a great scholar, or perhaps a man of war?”

An memory flashed in Yuushin’s mind. His grandfather, teaching him the movements. Showing him how to kick, how to block, how to punch.

He shook his head, pushing that memory away. “Sorry, nothing as fancy. I was just an illustrator.”

There was a glee beaming on the wolf priest’s voice, his face looking even more livelier. “Oh—so you are an artist?!”

Jay finally turned away from the scenery, his gaze locking on Yuushin.

“An illustrator, you say?”

“Ah, yes…well, I worked at an animation studio.”

A softness spread across the man’s face, his voice becoming a bit more tender as he spoke. “My wife works with art, too. She’s a painter.” Jay shifted his eyes for a moment, a sorrowful glow crossing them before they met Yuushin’s gaze again. “I’m sure you would have a lot of things in common.”

And at that moment, even though Yuushin was still unsure if he would rather stay in this world or go back, there was only one thing he could reply.

“I’m looking forward to meet her, then.”

When Jay smiled, there was more than gratitude in his voice. “I’ll make sure to not keep either of you waiting.”

There was hope.

Yet as Jay turned away again, Yuushin couldn’t help but notice how quiet Lyr became, and how fast all the excitement and glee faded from his eyes.

And whatever it was that replaced his joyful glow, it was certainly not hope.

                                                                        ▬▬ι═══════ﺤ

True to the priest’s words, they arrived close to sunset.

Made of light stones, with only the entrance door being made of a darker wood, the temple itself appeared to be grand in size. Yet it was in such a decrepit state…

Well, now we know Lyr was telling the truth about no one coming here anymore.

There were standing stones surrounding it, while the staircase leading to the door was cracked in so many places, Yuushin doubted it was safe.

“Are you sure you wish to go inside?” The priest’s voice was hesitant, his tail swinging to the sides in an anxious pace. “No matter how much you wish to see the inscriptions yourselves, entering a place with such poor conditions…you see, in the eyes of our Veritux, well…”

Jay didn’t even bat an eye as he walked toward the staircase, stopping only to look at Lyr for a few moments—a soft smile filling his lips.

“You will be our guide, right, Lyrelith? After all, I'm certain you wouldn’t want us to get lost without you.”

Though the man’s voice was warm, his eyes had that thing again. The thing that sent shivers down Yuushin’s spine. Something he was starting to recognize.

As the priest fidgeted with his hands and opened his mouth to reply, a new voice reached them from above.

One as candid as it was loud.

“If you follow this guy, you will get lost for sure!”

They all turned to the same direction, the temple’s roof. Yet before Yuushin could have a good look, the person jumped—with so much speed, his eyes couldn’t even follow.

“AH! YOU!”

And when Lyr screamed and pointed at his side, Yuushin’s brain stopped working.

“So, did you tire of these Veritux folks yet?”

Because standing right in front of them, grinning at him—

Was Kez.